It’s certainly impossible at the moment to play every game as a three-format player – Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc has expressed that he had “strong opinions” on being dropped against Afghanistan in the recent T20 World Cup while Starc said that he had an open conversation with chief selector George Bailey, who at the time had defended the move as “tactical”.

Australia great pacer Mitchell Starc has expressed that he had “strong opinions” on being dropped against Afghanistan in the recent T20 World Cup. 

Speaking for the first time since the cutting out, Starc said that he had an open conversation with chief selector George Bailey, who at the time had defended the move as “tactical” and based around “death bowling”.

“George and I have spoken and that is where it will stay,”

Starc said after the second ODI against England, where he picked figures of 4 for 47. 

“I had strong opinions on it and had a conversation, and that’s where it is,”

Starc said, before stating he was still eager to be considered for inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad for 2024.

“I spoke to George at length, it was a good conversation. Many different things were floated there. I still have ambitions to play T20 cricket for Australia, but it is a long time until the next one, and a lot of water to go under the bridge.”

Starc also spoke about the busy schedule that Australia among other teams has to live with at the moment.

“It’s certainly impossible at the moment to play every game as a three-format player,”

Starc said.

“We’ve seen that over the last few years, sometimes two Australian teams are playing at the same time in different continents in different formats.

“It’s impossible for everyone to play every single game of cricket in 12 months now with the way they are scheduling things. They see a break and put a series on. I think having those periods to rest helps me keep bowling at decent speeds for a period. I don’t think playing three formats is something I can do for a long period moving forward now.”

“There’s a game every day,”

he further said.

“It’s not for me to sit here and decide on a schedule, but it is what it is. We’ve come off a T20 World Cup into a three-match one-day series into five Tests, the WBBL is heading into finals at the minute, then you’ve got BBL, we go to India for Tests, and white-ball, the girls have got a T20 World Cup into IPL. There’s a game of cricket every day of the week.

“How do you ask people to go spend 400-500 bucks at a day of cricket three days a week? It’s a busy schedule for players and staff and fans.”

Starc also said that staying away from the IPL and taking a break from the game has helped him improve his Test match skills and bowl at consistently quick speeds.

“If I’d gone in there, having no break and playing 12 months of the year, what does that affect?”

“Does it affect my body? Do I break down? Does it affect my red-ball cricket?

“You can’t just sit there and go, ‘He should go to the IPL because he’d be a better T20 bowler.’ What’s the downside of that? Do I give away a format of the game because I’m playing 12 months of the year? I don’t regret any of those decisions not to go. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed April and May for the last seven or eight years, it’s probably helped my golf handicap, too. I wouldn’t change it.

“Tests far above the white ball. I’ll decide on the rest as I go and where my body’s at and how I feel about it. I’d love to, selection and form pending; continue playing Test cricket as long as we can.”